What “Calories” means on a food label
The words below are the regulation's own. They are quoted exactly from the United States Code of Federal Regulations.
The definition
“Calories, total,” “Total calories,” or “Calories”: A statement of the caloric content per serving, expressed to the nearest 5-calorie increment up to and including 50 calories, and 10-calorie increment above 50 calories, except that amounts less than 5 calories may be expressed as zero.
Plain facts about this rule
So the calories printed on a pack are rounded, and a pack may print 0 where a serving has fewer than 5 calories.
On this site, calories come from the source record and are shown as whole calories.
Source
- Text used:
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), Title 21, Part 101, as in force on 6 October 2026
- Checked on:
- 11 October 2026